Master plan moves forward

Mayor of Saratoga John Zeiger said they received a $49,000 from a community development block grant. Community development block grants come from the state of Wyoming. The money has not yet been given to the town of Saratoga, but Zeiger said “the check is in the mail.”

The town of Saratoga will have to contribute around $16,000 towards the master plan project, and Voices of the Valley is contributing an additional $2,500.

The money will go toward the hiring a consultant who will draft a master plan design for the town.

A steering committee will be formed to work with the consultant, and the town is seeking four letters of interest for that committee. The idea behind the committee, Zeiger said, is so neither the town nor the planning commission will have the final say on what is included in the master plan.

The letters of interest will be reviewed by the Saratoga planning commission. The town council will then take input from the planning commission on who should be on the committee. There will likely be a member of the planning commission as an advisor on the board.

The idea behind implementing a new master plan is to update the dated town plans. Several of the plans for the town of Saratoga date back to the late 1970s, Zeiger said.

The new plan will also assist with the rise in workers expected to arrive from the Chokecherry-Sierra Madre wind farm project. Zeiger said he does not want to get in a position where Saratoga is not ready for a population boom.

“We can take a lesson from a town like Pinedale and get ahead of the game instead of behind the game,” Zeiger said.

The town is expected to receive the grant itself within the next new weeks.